Interest in volleyball is growing and the Lipscomb Lady Bisons are working with youngsters and their parent s during a series of “Mommy, Daddy and Me” clinics.

The first of four planned clinics was held Saturday morning at Allen Area. Fifteen children participated along with their parents.

“That’s exactly the number we needed to start out with,” Lipscomb volleyball coach Brandon Rosenthal said. “Our next one is Sept. 7 and I think we will have twice as many.

“We had such a great response. We had fun.”

The clinic is targeted for girls and boys ages 5 through 10. The clinics last for one hour.

“When I first moved here volleyball was strictly in the high schools,” Rosenthal said. “Now it has filtered down into the middle schools which is great.

“The whole idea behind the clinics is we have to do a better job of getting the parents and their kids exposed to volleyball at a younger age. There are so many good things going on with volleyball nationwide and also in this community.”

Those in attendance at the clinics learn the game from players and coaches who have won three of the last four Atlantic Sun Conference championships and made three trips to the NCAA Tournament.

“Most of the time when you talk to parents they have never played volleyball,” Rosenthal said. “They don’t have that familiarity with it. Who better to learn from than girls who go through this every day?

“It is a unique opportunity for the girls to give back to the community and for the kids to learn from a special group of people. It was neat to see our players interact with younger kids. I knew it was going to be beneficial for them to work one-on-one with the kids.”

Rosenthal, who is also active in club volleyball, wants to provide an outlet for players under the age of 12.

“We want to give that exposure to those kids and their parents,” Rosenthal said. “I think being able to teach parents how to do the skills is huge in this case.

“It is great in getting the younger people to attend our games. At the clinic the kids got autographs from our players and toured the locker room. You could tell by the looks on their faces that it meant everything to them.”

The third clinic is scheduled for Sept. 20 with the fourth set for Oct. 10. Both will begin at 6 p.m. The Sept. 7 clinic also begins at 6. The clinics are free and open to the public. Parents are encouraged to bring their children to as many of the clinics as possible.

I’m hoping by the fourth one to have 50 or 60 kids participate,” Rosenthal said. “We want the parents to also be involved.”